


The Guide to the Gay Side- Google.

by arcturus7



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur Sneakdragon, Arthur discovers google, Arthur trying to court Merlin, Arthur understanding that he's gay, But Cute Idiots, Drabbles, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Magic, Oblivious Merlin (Merlin), Or at least he thinks he is, Past Gwen/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Period-Typical Homophobia, Pining Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Pining Merlin (Merlin), Smitten Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), fluffy fluff- like a lot of it, he's actually very smitten for Merlin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:07:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27539617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arcturus7/pseuds/arcturus7
Summary: Where Arthur knows that he loves Merlin, but period-typical homophobia exists and therefore he does what he thinks is the best- he marries Gwen.Doesn't mean that he doesn't pine from afar.And then he dies and gets resurrected, and he meets Google.Arthur finds out that being gay is valid; that his feelings are valid; and 'sneakily' dates Merlin.They're cute lil babies and it all works out in the end.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon, Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 26
Kudos: 289





	The Guide to the Gay Side- Google.

**Author's Note:**

> hello! This is something that came to me at 3 am and then I wrote it down and made a whole mess of it but ye.  
> Gwen is a sweetheart by the way, and I'd defo date her if I had the chance. But she doesn't play a major part in this fic-

It was always something he had to ignore. 

The way his eyes always sought out Merlin’s in a crowd; the way his eyes always trailed on Merlin’s lips, or his pale neck; or his delicate wrists. 

It would be manageable if Arthur’s attraction only ended there. But soon he found his heart fluttering every time Merlin smiled at him, loving the way Merlin would laugh; or finding peace in watching Merlin do his chores. 

What made it _even_ worse was the fact that Merlin seemed to have the same problem.

And so Arthur panicked and went after the only thing he could have of Merlin’s: Guinevere. 

They were two different types of people- Merlin’s headstrong and fierce; Guinevere calm and compassionate. But something changed in her when Merlin arrived. She was more confident, and in some ways, so similar to Merlin. 

Heck, Arthur barely paid her any attention before Merlin came along. Merlin somehow managed to change everyone; bring out everyone’s best parts.

She was the closest thing he had to him. 

But close wasn’t perfect, and he found himself in a non-romantic, mostly platonic relationship. He felt guilty every time he kissed her, knowing that he wouldn’t love her the way she wanted him to. 

Arthur felt love, but it wasn’t the all-consuming, fiery feeling he had with Merlin. With Gwen, he was overly protective of her, he wished no harm to come to her. Sometimes he wondered if what he felt for her was like what he felt for Morgana- a more sibling type of love.

But Gwen made an excellent Queen, even without the training Princesses go through. The people loved her. She would be a good Queen, for the people of Camelot. 

For him, not so much.

But it’s the closest thing he has, and it'd have to do.

* * *

Arthur didn’t know what to expect. But it wasn’t _this_.

He expected Merlin to be mad, to yell, to cry, to do _something_. But no, all he did was fiercely encourage his relationship. It kept going to the point where it frustrated Arthur. He wanted Merlin to show some genuine emotion, not this forced encouragement. 

He was in no position to demand anything from Merlin, since they both went on ignoring whatever was in between them, knowing that the end wouldn’t be a happy one. 

Everything he felt was _wrong, wrong, wrong_. 

Arthur wondered if his whole existence was wrong. Whether he was fit to be called Camelot’s King. A King who took no pleasure in the fairer sex. Who pathetically pinned after his manservant out of all people. 

Knowing that your love was requited, somehow, made it all worse.

Merlin never said it, but his actions told him whatever he wanted to hear. 

How he’d fuss over Arthur’s armor before each battle, how he’d stay and make sure Arthur knew he wasn’t alone after a particularly bad day, how he’d follow Arthur in literally any situation, always by his side, always _there_. 

And Arthur did the same.

He couldn’t outright confess, but he gifted Merlin a horse, occasionally a new shirt, made sure that Merlin was always out of harm’s way, going headfirst into battle so that Merlin didn’t have to. 

It wasn’t much, but that’s all they had.

  


* * *

  


Each night, Arthur cursed their situation, cursed how they were far, cursed how they could never be together. If only things were different; if only things were better.

His heart clenched when he met Isolde and Tristan. The pair of them, so in love, so freely happy, made him crave for something of his own. He felt guilty as their King when Isolde lay in Tristan’s arms after taking the sword aimed for him. More importantly, he felt guilty as their _friend_. 

They did help him realize one thing- when it was time, he wanted to die in the arms of the one he truly loved. 

What Arthur didn’t know was that his wish came sooner than expected. All too soon. And in the worst way possible.

Merlin, _his_ Merlin, a sorcerer. 

Now that he thinks about it, it was all too obvious. The well-timed branches, every miraculous win against magical creatures, every time he and Merlin escaped from the most absurd of situations.

Honestly, he didn’t care that Merlin was a sorcerer. He cared that Merlin didn’t trust him enough to confide in him. It hurt his heart enough to make the stab wound seem insignificant. Which should have been impossible, but matters of the heart were always a mystery to Arthur.

As the day progressed, Arthur got to witness a side of Merlin he never did. The raw pride, the raw protectiveness, the raw _love_ he held for Arthur. Arthur wanted to run away with Merlin, run away, and be on their own. If he ever doubted the depth of his love for Merlin, it was stupid. Because he’d never love another like he did Merlin. 

He was glad it was Merlin’s arms he ended up in. He was glad that the last thing he’d ever see were his blue eyes that haunted his dreams for the past decade. He only wished to see Merlin smile one last time, the smile that he reserved for Arthur, the one which crinkled his eyes and lit his whole face up in joy.

He wanted his last words to convey everything he felt. But he didn’t know how to. It frustrated him to no end. He wanted to blurt out the three words he kept close to his chest. He wanted to scream it to the world, to whisper it so that only Merlin could hear. He wanted to tell him everything.

But he knew he shouldn’t because it would only leave Merlin more miserable than ever. To know his love was reciprocated, and then watch it being snatched away only a second later. 

And so he hoped Merlin understood his last words, words he poured every tendril of emotion he felt for Merlin. 

  


* * *

  


** 1,500 years later. **

Arthur didn’t remember his time with the Shide, and as Merlin confessed, the past fifteen hundred years he missed.

It took a while, three months to be exact, for Arthur to not jump and search for his sword when the microwave beeped. 

It took seven broken faucets, three severe burns from the gas stove, several broken crockeries, and countless bans from the kitchen for Arthur to successfully make a cup of tea. 

The look of pride and happiness on Merlin’s face made it all worth it. 

Arthur soon found out that during the nights, Merlin was plagued with frequent nightmares. If he used that as an excuse to protectively curl up against Merlin and openly guard him against the horrors he faced, then no one had to know.

For Arthur, it wasn’t fifteen hundred years that passed. His feelings were the same as ever, even more so after finding out Merlin’s secret. But heck, it was still wrong, and so he used every single opportunity to stay close to Merlin. 

In a way, sleeping in the same bed helped Arthur too. He missed Camelot, and Merlin was the last thing he had left. It made him feel whole. 

  


* * *

“I think you’re ready to be introduced to the internet,” Merlin said one day, completely out of the blue.

Arthur made a confused face. “Internet? Who’s that?”

“It’s not a person, it’s-” Merlin thrusts a flat piece of black brick into Arthur’s hands. “Here-” Merlin pressed something, and the whole screen lit up with lights. Arthur jumped and almost dropped the light, flat brick, but Merlin had already predicted that and caught the brick. 

“It’s an iPad, um... Kinda like a library. It has a lot of books,” Merlin explained, pressing on the brightly lit screen. And then, everything _moved_. The screen shifted, turning into a blank page. 

“Merlin, is this magic?” Arthur exclaimed, not sure whether he should destroy it or admire it. 

Merlin shook his head, smiling. “It’s technology. It’s the same as light bulbs, they run on electricity.” Merlin pressed something again, and there was a name, each letter written in a different color, spelling out ‘Google”. Arthur stared at it in confusion. Where did the other screen go?

Merlin pressed something again, this time it was the ‘search’ option. Then, another thing popped up, with all the letters of the alphabet. Merlin moved so that he was sitting right next to Arthur, their shoulders brushing. Arthur enjoyed the contact for as long as he could. “This is a keyboard, you use it to type out any questions you have,” Merlin began pressing on the alphabets, which then turned into words in the search bar. 

Arthur moved closer, observing the way Merlin’s long fingers tapped on the screen. Something happened, and then the keyboard was gone, and then the screen was gone too. Arthur looked on in confusion as _another_ screen appeared. This time, it had blue-lined and black lines of different words. When Merlin scrolled down, there were paintings of ice cream, something Arthur has come to love in the modern world.

Merlin explained that if he had any questions, like ‘how does the toaster work,’ he could type it in Google. This Google guy was a very smart person who knew the answer to almost everything. Everything except for magic, apparently, which seemed to be a myth in the modern world. 

Arthur was a little disappointed that he couldn’t go to Merlin whenever he had a question. He used those questions as an excuse to talk to Merlin, who seemed more closed off ever since he arrived. 

Of course, fifteen hundred years was a long, long time. But Arthur knew Merlin was trying hard to be his old self, although it wasn’t the same anymore. 

“I mean, you can ask me questions too, but I don’t know everything so…:” Merlin said, somehow sensing Arthur’s mood. It always surprised Arthur, how Merlin could read him even after so long. 

“ _Mer_ lin, it’s alright, I don’t want you hurting yourself with thinking,” Arthur rolled his eyes, smiling all the same. Merlin shoved him off and got up, but he too was smiling. 

“Alright, I gotta run to the grocery store. See ya.” 

Arthur still hadn’t worked up the nerve to face those metal monsters outside, So, he decided to have a conversation with Google. 

“Give me some ice cream,” Arthur wrote, but Google only gave him a map for the nearest ice cream shop. Arthur sighed.

Fine. “Find Merlin,” but Google gave him a goddamn book. Arthur wanted Merlin, not a book, dammit. This Google guy was helpful, but for the wrong reasons. 

Arthur decided to do what Merlin did, “How does a toaster work,”

Surprisingly, Google explained it pretty well. By the end of the article, Arthur could probably build his toaster. 

Encouraged, Arthur typed in “what are those metal monsters outside.” Not the answer Arthur was searching for. 

Arthur recalled that Merlin called them something… starting with a ‘c’... “Cards!”

Cards weren’t what the metal monsters were called, but Arthur learned the rules of a surprisingly similar game to gambling. They even called it that. Arthur was going to ask Merlin to play it with him. 

Merlin returned soon after, and Arthur rushed to grab the heavy bags from him. Merlin protested, saying that he could carry them on his own, but Arthur wanted to help. If he got to brush his fingers against Merlin’s in the process, no one had to know. 

Arthur was placing the vegetables in the fridge, another thing he made a mental note to ask Google about. Merlin was chatting away things that didn’t make sense, but Arthur didn’t complain because it reminded him about the hunting trips where Merlin would chatter about useless castle gossip and whatnot. 

“Have you played cards before, _Mer_ lin?” Arthur asked once they were done. Merlin looked at Arthur with his adorable confused face, before shrugging and nodding.

“Yeah, where did this come from?”

“Google explained the rules for me, I wanna play with you,” Arthur said and saw that Merlin smiled a bit. 

“Sure come on, I should have a pack.”

Arthur spectacularly lost, but it was successful since he got to spend time with Merlin.  
Things continued the same for a while. Arthur would have long conversations with his new friend, Google, and tell Merlin everything he learned that day. Sometimes, Merlin would laugh, other times, they’d talk about it. 

Arthur thought it was time for him to confide in Google about his emotions. Google’s not very straight forward, but he can be helpful sometimes. Plus, Merlin’s been feeling sad lately, and Arthur wanted to help in any way he can.

“I think I like this guy,” Arthur typed out and waited for Google to answer. But Google was somehow under the impression that Arthur was a woman. What the hell. 

“I am a guy, who likes this other guy,” Arthur typed out again. Google was still under the impression that Arthur was a woman, giving him advice on how to dump his current boyfriend and chase after this other guy. Why is it so hard for Google to understand?

Finally, Arthur typed out “can a man fall in love with another man?”

What Arthur found gave him a heart attack, so to say the least. 

Arthur may have squealed, but Merlin wasn’t around to tease him for it.

Arthur wasn’t alone. 

There was a whole nother world, in the land of Lesbia, where people like him lived. People who were also attracted to the same sex. Called themselves Lesbians. 

A bit more articles told him, no, he wasn’t lesbian, he was _gay_. 

Of course, he was happy. Arthur already knew that.

Some more digging told him that _gay_ didn’t mean happy anymore, it meant that you were attracted to other men. 

Well, as long as his feelings were valid. 

But one more obstacle- was Merlin gay too? Did he still love Arthur, even after fifteen hundred years of being away? Or did he despise him, for making him wait that long? 

Things still weren’t easy.

  


* * *

  


“I think I’m ready to go out,” Arthur said, during dinner one night. Arthur had spent hours together talking to Google, discussing the gay side of the internet, looking up proper ways to court another man. Google told him to take Merlin out of dinner, to a movie, to the park, to a road trip, and many other things. Dinner was a good start. 

Merlin paused, dropping his spoon. He looked so adorably confused, that Arthur had to control himself from jumping and kissing him right then and there. 

“Why? I mean, are you sure? We can wait for some more time if required. There’s no pressure-”

“I want to, Merlin. I’m ready. I think. Do we have to use those metal monsters?”

“Cars,” ah, that’s what they were called. “And no, we can walk, but you’re going to have to get used to cars, Arthur.”

“I’ll cross that bridge when I get there,” Arthur replied. “Where’s the nearest restaurant?”

“You wanna go to a restaurant?” Merlin asked, dubiously. 

“Maybe, or the park.”

“We’ll start in the park. It’s closer and more… nature-y?”

Well, Arthur wanted to go to a restaurant and feed Merlin, but a walk in the park sounds fine too.

  


The park wasn’t very nature-y. It was mostly pavements and little bushes and trees. But Merlin brought them ice cream and they shared a chocolate bar, so it was great. 

Merlin was chattering away like he always does, and Arthur was too busy staring at Merlin to understand what he was saying. Suddenly, Arthur had an idea. 

“It’s getting cold,” Arthur said and sneaked an arm around Merlin’s shoulder. Not as sneaky as he wanted it to be, but it got the job done. Merlin tensed for a few seconds, before relaxing into Arthur’s side.

“Yeah, wanna head back?”

“Sure, why not,” Arthur didn’t let go of him until they were back at home. First date: successful. 

  


For the next date, Arthur wanted to take Merlin out for dinner. But the good restaurants were far and there only was a bar in the locality. A bar was the tavern- Merlin explained. He also explained that he’d never actually been to the tavern in Camelot and that he was off on little magical adventures and protecting Arthur. 

Honestly, it was hard _not_ to love Merlin. 

So Arthur dragged Merlin to the bar and brought him a drink from the money Merlin gave Arthur. He should get a job soon. 

Merlin was finally smiling and laughing after two drinks, and Arthur too was feeling a bit better. They talked about everything- from Camelot to weird things in the modern world to the stars to food. 

And then this woman came and crashed it all.

Arthur recognized that she was _flirting_ with him, only because he’s asked Google how to flirt and she’s doing the same. Unnecessary touching, laughing, batting eyelashes- she’s doing it by the book. 

Arthur tried to gently let her down, but the damage was done.

Merlin was closed off, far away once again. He had a wistful expression on his face, before that too changed into a mask of indifference. 

Once the woman finally got a hint and left Arthur alone, Merlin had a small, apologetic smile on his face. 

“I’m sorry, we shouldn’t have come to a bar. I know you miss Gwen and this just probably made it worse,” no. No, no, no, no. Arthur wanted to yell at Merlin for being such a dumbass.

“No, that’s not-”

“Shh, it’s alright. I understand. Let’s head back home, okay?” Yes, he missed Gwen, but not for the reason Merlin’s thinking. Arthur tried to protest, but Merlin was already dragging him out of the bar. 

The second date ended up in flames.

  


Arthur still had many other plans but knew it was going to be fruitless if Merlin was under the assumption that he was romantically in love with Guinevere. And so, he used what Google called, “the up-front” approach. 

But Arthur was always bad at feelings. Talking about feelings, even more so. 

And so, on movie night, Arthur sat closer than ever and put a hand behind Merlin in the middle of the movie. They were going to cuddle today, and Arthur wasn’t going to let it fail. 

During the movie, Merlin noticed Arthur’s arm at the back of the sofa but didn’t comment on it. Arthur reached for the popcorn, but instead of eating it, he fed it to a very confused Merlin. 

“Arthur?” Merlin asked with a mouth full of popcorn.

“Hmm?”

“Are you alright?” When Arthur turned to face Merlin, he realized that he was close, but not close enough. 

“Yes, why do you ask?”

“Nothing, you’re… ah acting, _nice_ ,” ah, finally he catches on. Arthur raised an eyebrow, a plan already formulating in his head.

“Is that so concerning, _Mer_ lin?” 

“Yes,” Merlin immediately replied, without any hesitation. Arthur rolled his eyes, ready to put his plan into action. He dropped his arm from the sofa and pulled Merlin into a headlock, rubbing his knuckles into that soft hair. Merlin protested, yelling for Arthur to stop, and Arthur obeyed a second later.

“Is that mean enough for you?” Arthur asked, dropping one hand but keeping the other around Merlin so that he’s leaning against Arthur’s chest. 

Merlin looked up and smiled, and Arthur had that familiar feeling in his chest again. “Yep,” he said, before dropping his head down against Arthur’s chest and returning his attention to the movie. 

Here, with Merlin in his arms, he’d say his plan was a very great success.

  


The same night, when they were sleeping in their shared bed, Arthur asked Merlin to show him some magic. 

Merlin turned to face Arthur, hesitating. 

“Please?” Arthur said, which seemed to work because Merlin smiled and nodded. His eyes flashed a beautiful gold, the color of sunsets and warmth, and it took a few seconds for Arthur to tear his eyes away from Merlin's. 

In Merlin’s palm was a little dragon, the shape of the Pendragon’s chest. Arthur reached out to touch it, and the little dragon hopped on to Arthur’s palm, jumping and flying around his arm. Arthur laughed, his chest filling with warmth. 

Soon though, the dragon dispersed into a million tiny sparks. Arthur turned to face Merlin, who was already looking at him with a small smile. 

“I love you,” Merlin whispered before his eyes went wide and his smile dropped. Google didn’t tell him what to do in this case. It was _Arthur_ who was supposed to say it first, dammit. But fine-

“I mean, of course, I do, you’re a great friend, a best friend even-” Merlin was blabbering now, and Arthur realized that that _idiot_ didn’t realize that Arthur loved him, more than he could imagine. 

“Merlin?”

“Yes?” Merlin was staring with big eyes, looking frightened. 

“Shut up,” Arthur said and leaned in to kiss him. 

That night, with their limbs intertwined and his hand over Merlin’s heart, Arthur whispered back, “I love you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, that was stupid. But anyway. I don't ship Arwen at all, but those of you who do- great! BUt it just isn't for me. merthur all the way babies. 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for wasting your precious time here! I really don't know what came over me to write this but ha.


End file.
